Nobody wants to think that what they considered an idyllic
view from their window is going to be blocked, ruined or spoiled by a new
housing estate.
But the plain fact is that Kirklees like many other councils
in this country have been instructed by the Government to deal with an
unprecedented housing shortage.
We have tried to use existing premises in built up areas,
like old mills, factories, hospitals, churches, even public houses to provide
flats for those seeking housing accommodation.
That is alright for single people or young married couples
without children, but families need larger accommodation, and we have no choice
but to provide it.
There is a critical shortage of land for housing and this is
why the Conservative government is now releasing green belt. They have told us
we have to build houses in the next.....years
We have been told by the government that if we have any land
in our ownership which we refuse to build on, then they will take it from us
and give to builders free of charge.
Most of our much-needed housing estates, built in Dewsbury
during the slum clearance schemes of the 1950s and 60s, were built on what
would now be called Green Belt.
Indeed, thousands upon thousands of people in Dewsbury now
live in houses which were once pastoral, like Thornhill, Whitley, Chickenley, and
Dewsbury Moor.
Indeed, something like a thousand privately owned houses in
the Bennett Lane area of Hanging Heaton were built on farmland belonging to the
Savile Estate.
I have sympathy with the residents of Chidswell – I am one
of them – and I too don’t want to lose the view from my kitchen window which I
have enjoyed for the past 17 years.
But in many ways we are helpless in our choice as to where
we now build houses, but we have to ensure that where houses are to be built
have to be thoroughly looked into. We will do that.
We also have the infrastructure to consider, roads and
drainage etc..., and we will ensure that in this rush to build houses, now
going on throughout the country, we will not overlook these important issues.
They will be thoroughly looked into and as many issues raised by residents we
must try to minimise, resolve or overcome.
Personally I pledge to do that. I believe we should find some way to involve
nearby residents in what we are doing, involve them in the process. Their voices should be listened to. Their
fears allayed, because I don’t think their complaints are just about losing
idyllic views.
They have fears that they will lose their privacy, fears of
being overlooked, fears of heavy traffic and noise during the building process.
Will there be enough school places to accommodate the
children moving in, increased traffic, access etc.
We must not ignore their fears. We must listen to them. This
should not be a battle which someone will win and others will lose.
We cannot be seen as the villains of the piece, greedily
grabbing every piece of land and riding rough-shod over people who have lived
in a community all their lives.
Even the tiniest piece of land is now being scrutinised to
see if houses can be built on it. The Government is watching to make sure we do
this.
In my ward alone, Dewsbury East I have seen houses and flats
built on areas of land which at one time I would not have thought possible. I
doubt if years ago they would have even been given planning permission. Today
it is different.
At the top of Chickenley Lane, where a church once stood, I
saw in no time at all after its demolition houses were built there.
On land adjoining the Rams Stadium, houses were built and
are occupied as quick as they are built. In Batley Carr, two churches have been
pulled down in recent months and
Houses built there....Where Dewsbury General Hospital once stood;
hundreds of houses have been built.
Where the Municipal Buildings were situated, there are now
apartments, further down the road where Mark Oldroyd’s Mill stood, there are
many, many more apartments, and across the road where Machells Mill stood,
there are flats.
Even parts of Caulms Wood has been used for housing and in
Crackenedge Lane, a housing association has provided flats to provide sheltered
accommodation.
Pieces of land in built-up areas have been utilised and
I have seen houses built in places where
I thought houses could never have been built – on tiny pieces of land..
Even landmark buildings like the Reporter Office, are now
apartments, and so are many of the buildings nearby.
There is a housing revolution going on, and I am concerned
that we deal with this crisis in the
right way.
Almost every available piece of land is being utilised for
housing. There is none left in built-up areas. That is the stark fact.
We are being forced to move into the Green Belt and the
government is urging us to do so.
Large old houses which still have much life in them are
being demolished to make way for more houses to be built in their gardens –
five houses where once there was one. Incredible.
The bedroom tax imposed on us by the Government is just one
example of the wrong kind of thinking to tackle this crisis, now proved to be
unlawful.
We have to think long and hard where we now build houses.
Yes, houses have to be built. We cannot ignore that fact, and land has to be
found.
Tragically, great swathes of lovely unspoiled land, some of
them local beauty spots, may have to be used. Where else can we build?
The way we now live our lives has contributed to the housing
shortage, as well as newcomers coming to live in this country.
When marriages split up – two houses have to accommodate a
man and his wife, children leave home early and want to live on their own,
something which never happened in the past.
People live longer and therefore they live in their homes
longer. Our world is changing – but an English man’s home is still his castle
and we ignore that at our peril.
Build by all means but do it sensitively. Do not allow as many houses as possible to be
built on a piece of land.
If we own the land, we must not try to get the highest price
just to balance our books, but must work with the builders to get the best
possible houses as possible.
Let us not forget that when we were building council houses
in the 1950s and 60s we built them to the highest standard, much better than
houses being built in the private sector.
We have to look at ways of working with the developers to
make sure they are not skimping and building houses where they will overlook
the houses of those who will be losing their views.
We should not be building, one on top of the other, we must
think – “What would we as a council build here if we were going to be the
landlords or owners?”
Instead of asking developers to give us money to put back
into the local community, let them use that money to make the area look
attractive to those who are overlooking it.
If that sounds like pie in the sky I am sorry. I think it is possible. We have to think what we would feel if it was happening on our doorstep, devaluing our property, affecting our peace of mind.
